The Helzberg Theory
In 1959, Frederick Herzberg (1923-2000) published his theory on what motivated people in the workplace. His conclusions were broken down into two factors called the motivation-hygiene theory. He discovered that workers had specific lists of job motivators and dissatisfiers, which are not necessarily opposite to each other. Simply put, the things that satisfied people at work are totally separate and apart from the things with which they expressed dissatisfaction.
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Motivators
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Herzberg's theory reveals that the things that motivate people on the job are a sense of achievement, recognition for a job well done, doing work they find fulfilling, a feeling of responsibility or ownership of the work being done, opportunities for professional advancement, and opportunities for personal growth.
Dissatisfiers
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Herzberg theorized that the things that lead to job dissatisfaction include harsh company policies, supervision practices or disharmonious relationships with supervisors, a poor relationship with the big boss, company director, or board president, poor working conditions, a salary that is not consistent with the work required or one that is too low to meet essential personal needs, and poor work relationships with peers.
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Considerations
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According to the Herzberg theory, the things that determine job dissatisfaction are unrelated to the actual job. Herzberg calls them KITA (Kick in the A--) factors, arguing that the threat of punishment, demotion, or job loss are external stimulators that generate only short-term results. Herzberg stated that motivators that create job satisfaction have little to do with the actual work and added that while they can be used as incentives, motivators are not fundamental to the job itself.
Lessons for Management
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The Herzberg Theory recommends employees be given jobs that use the full extent of their abilities, that employees who demonstrate increasing levels of expertise be given increased responsibility, and that when the job is beneath the employee's ability, the task should be automated and the employee moved to a more challenging post or replaced by someone with lesser ability.
Twenty-five years after publishing his theory, Herzberg pointed out that when salary is a dissatisfier, it is connected with the unfairness of the company's wage system or increased responsibility with no increase in pay. On the other hand, salary is listed as a motivator when it is perceived as recognition for a job well done.
Contradictions
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Critics are quick to point out that Herzberg's theory states the obvious--that people express dissatisfaction with things that are external rather than within the scope of things that they have the power to change. They add that it is natural for people to take credit for things that they find satisfying while blaming dissatisfaction on things out of their control.
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References
- Photo Credit at work image by sasha from Fotolia.com
